It is well known in the technical literature that when different plant lines are cross-pollinated, one can produce offspring which exhibit advantageous heterosis or hybrid vigor. Such enhanced vigor can lead to increased yields in the resulting plant product.
Cotton (i.e., plants of genus Gossypium) is recognized to be an important crop which is grown in many parts of the world. Cotton is presently being grown primarily for its lint; however, the seed may be used for planting, or a food oil may be recovered from the seeds and the residue used as a livestock feed. It also is recognized that while the necessary plants for hybrid cottonseed production are known and available, only limited hybrid cotton production has been carried out anywhere in the world to date. Such failure to practice hybrid cottonseed production on a commercial scale can be traced at least in part to the relatively high costs inherently associated with previously available cotton hybridization processes.
Representative prior publications which concern the formation of hybrid cottonseeds are the following:
(1) Canadian Pat. No. 668,452, "Production of Hybrid Cottonseed," Frank M. Eaton, Aug. 13, 1963.
(2) Vesta G. Meyer, "Male Sterility From Gossypium harknessii," J. of Heredity, Vol. 66, p. 23 to 27 (1975).
(3) Joseph O. Moffett, Lee S. Stith, and Charles W. Shipman, "Producing Hybrid Cotton Seed on the High Plains of Texas," Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conferences Proceedings, Atlanta, Ga., p. 90 to 92 (1977).
(4) J. B. Weaver, Jr., "Present Status of Fertility Restoration in Cytoplasmic Male-Sterile Upland Cotton," Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conferences Proceedings, Atlanta, Ga., p. 95 to 96 (1977).
(5) Joseph O. Moffett, Lee S. Stith, and Charles W. Shipman, "Producing Hybrid Cotton Seed on a Field Scale by Using Honey Bees as Pollinators," Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conferences Proceedings, Dallas, Tex., p. 77 to 79 (1978).
(6) W. R. Meredith, Jr., Vesta Meyer, B. W. Hanny, and J. C. Bailey, "Influence of Five Gossypium Species Cytoplasms on Yield, Yield Components, Fiber Properties, and Insect Resistance in Upland Cotton," Crop Science, Vol. 19, p. 647 to 650, September-October 1979.
(7) Richard H. Sheetz and James B. Weaver, Jr., "Pima Fertility Enhancer Factor: Inheritance and Use in Hybrid Cotton Production," Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conferences Proceedings, St. Louis, Mo., p. 82 (1980).
(8) R. H. Sheetz and J. B. Weaver, Jr. "Inheritance of a Fertility Enhancer Factor From Pima Cotton When Transferred Into Upland Cotton With Gossypium harknessii Brandegee Cytoplasm," Crop Science, Vol. 20, p. 272 to 275, March-April 1980.
(9) Joseph O. Moffett, Henry B. Cobb and Don R. Rummel, "Bees of Potential Value as Pollinators in the Production of Hybrid Cottonseed on the High Plains of Texas", Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conferences Proceedings, Bee Report No. 2, p. 1 to 12 (1980).
(10) Delbert C. Hess, "Hybrid Cotton Development," Beltwide Cotton Mechanization-Production Research Conferences Proceedings, New Orleans, La, p. 28 to 29 (1981).
(11) J. E. Quisenberry and R. E. Dilbeck, "Stormproof Boll in Upland Cotton III. Genotype-Environment Interaction and Genetic Analysis," Crop Science, Vol. 21, p. 511 to 514, July-August 1981.
(12) James B. Weaver, Jr., "Recent Significant Observations on the Development of Hybrid Cotton," Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conferences Proceedings, Las Vegas, Nev., p. 88 to 90 (1982).
(13) James B. Weaver, Jr., "Interspecific Hybrid Cotton as a Trap Crop for Boll Weevil Control," Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conferences Proceedings, Las Vegas, Nev., p. 207 to 209 (1982).
(14) Lori A. Berger, "Agapostemon angelicus Cockerell and Other Wild Bees as Potential Pollinators of Male-Sterile Cotton on the Texas High Plains", Master of Science Thesis, Oklahoma State University (1982).
(15) Bernard E. Vaissiere, "Report of Progress on Hybrid Cotton Pollination Studies on the Texas High Plains", Cotton Incorporated (1982).
(16) Frank L. Carter, Dick D. Davis and Elbert R. Jaycox, "Effect of Planting Pattern on Cross Pollination of Hybrid NX-1 Seed Production," Beltwide Cotton Production Conferences Proceedings, Atlanta, Ga., p. 130 to 131 (1984).
(17) R. J. Kohel and C. F. Lewis, "Cotton", No. 24 in the Series AGRONOMY, p. 219 to 221 (1984).
(18) U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,380, "Route to Hybrid Cotton Production", Levon L. Ray and Jose L. Longoria, Feb. 18, 1986.
Representative articles which discuss wild bees commonly found in the United States include:
(19) Radclyffe B. Roberts, "Bees of Northwestern America: Agapostemon (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), Technical Bulletin 125, Agric. Expt. Station, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oreg., p. 1 to 23, June 1973.
(20) Radclyffe B. Roberts, "Bees of Northwestern America: Halictus (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), Technical Bulletin 126, Agric. Expt. Station, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, p. 1 to 23, June 1973.
None of the above publications teaches that hybrid cottonseeds could be reliably produced under any circumstances on a commercially feasible basis while relying upon wild bees of any type to accomplish pollen transfer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved overall process for production of seeds capable of growing F.sub.1 hybrid cotton plants.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the production of seeds capable of growing F.sub.1 hybrid cotton plants which makes possible excellent production cost control.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the production of seeds capable of growing F.sub.1 hybrid cotton plants which can be carried out on an economically advantageous basis.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the production of seeds capable of growing F.sub.1 hybrid cotton plants which employs primarily ground-dwelling wild bees to carry out cross-pollination on a reliable basis.
These and other objects, as well as the scope, nature, and utilization of the claimed process, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and appended claims.